Port Vale
1990–91 season
ChairmanBill Bell
ManagerJohn Rudge
StadiumVale Park
Football League Second Division15th (57 Points)
FA CupFourth Round
(knocked out by Manchester City)
League CupSecond Round
(knocked out by Oxford United)
Full Members' CupFirst Round
(knocked out by Notts County)
Player of the YearRay Walker
Top goalscorerLeague: Darren Beckford (21)
All: Darren Beckford (23)
Highest home attendance19,132 vs. Manchester City, 26 January 1991
Lowest home attendance5,265 vs. Oxford United, 24 September 1990
Average home league attendance8,092
Biggest win5–1 vs. Plymouth Argyle, 1 December 1990
Biggest defeat0–4 vs. Middlesbrough, 9 April 1991

The 1990–91 season was Port Vale's 79th season of football in the English Football League, and second-successive (34th overall) season in the Second Division.[1] For the first time since 1926–27 they played in a league above rivals Stoke City. Vale finished in mid-table, exiting the FA Cup at the Fourth Round, the League Cup at the Second Round, and the Full Members' Cup at the First Round. John Rudge continued to uncover hidden 'gems', signing Dutchman Robin van der Laan for £80,000. Darren Beckford was top-scorer once again, though the club's Player of the Year award went to Ray Walker.

Overview

Second Division

The pre-season saw John Rudge follow up a recommendation by signing young Irish forward Derek Swan from Bohemians for £15,000.[1] Meanwhile, more than £250,000 was taken in by the club from season-ticket sales.[1] Much of this went on improving Vale Park, with 3,750 yellow and white seats fitted in the Railway Paddock, and 1,121 seats added to the upper tier of the Bycars End.[1] The Bycars End roof was removed for safety reasons, whilst a police box was constructed between the Railway Paddock and the Hamil End.[1] Admission rates increased to £5 for a terrace place, £6 for a seat in the Paddock and £7 in the stand.[1] Season tickets ranged between £75 and £105. With police bills set to spiral upwards, a record five-figure shirt sponsorship deal was struck with Kalamazoo (a business systems company).[1] A 25,000 seater stadium was planned for Festival Park, however, Chairman Bill Bell was 'frightened to death by the cost', and the plans were binned.[1]

The season opened with two defeats, though a 2–0 win over Leicester City on 1 September kick-started the Vale's campaign. A week later they beat Portsmouth 4–2 at Fratton Park. However, their 3–2 win over Middlesbrough was followed by seven league games without a win. Left-back Colin Gibson scored on his debut, having arrived on loan from Manchester United; whilst future-Nigerian international Reuben Agboola also arrived on loan from Sunderland. The streak ended when Ray Walker and Darren Beckford found their scoring form, firing the club to five victories in seven games, including a 5–1 home win over Plymouth Argyle which Rudge described as "the sort of game that, as a forward, you never want to end because there were so many chances".[2] The Vale lost their form around Christmastime however, and they remained in indifferent form until the end of the season. Rudge took in Nick Platnauer on loan from Notts County, though results failed to pick up.

In February, Ronnie Jepson was sold to Preston North End for £80,000, having previously been loaned out to Peterborough United. Gary West also spent much of the season away from Vale Park, spending time on loan at Gillingham and Lincoln City (signing permanently for Lincoln at the end of the season for a £25,000 fee). All of the money raised from Jepson's sale went on bringing Dutchman Robin van der Laan to Burslem from Wageningen. Right-back Paul West also arrived for a £3,800 fee from non-League Alcester Town. In March, Gary Ford and £80,000 were traded to Mansfield Town in exchange for Kevin Kent. Also of note during this spell was a hat-trick for Beckford in a 3–0 win over Blackburn Rovers on 9 March, and a run of four goals in the final four games for Robbie Earle. Striker Brian Mills made his debut in a final day win over Swindon Town, and would later be picked for the England squad for the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship.

They finished in fifteenth place with 57 points, twelve points away from Middlesbrough in the play-offs , but nine points clear of relegated West Bromwich Albion. Beckford scored 23 goals in all competitions, whilst Earle contributed twelve goals.

Finances

The club's shirt sponsors were Kalamazoo.

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale advanced into the Fourth Round with a 2–1 victory over Fourth Division Peterborough United. There they lost at home to First Division Manchester City in front of a season-high crowd of 19,132.

In the League Cup, the "Valiants" faced Oxford United. A 2–0 defeat on the home leg meant they were eliminated after a goalless draw at the Manor Ground.

In the short-lived Full Members' Cup, Vale lost 1–0 to Notts County at Meadow Lane to exit the competition at the first stage.

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Oldham Athletic (C, P) 46 25 13 8 83 53 +30 88 Promotion to the First Division
2 West Ham United (P) 46 24 15 7 60 34 +26 87
3 Sheffield Wednesday (P) 46 22 16 8 80 51 +29 82
4 Notts County (O, P) 46 23 11 12 76 55 +21 80 Qualification for the Second Division play-offs
5 Millwall 46 20 13 13 70 51 +19 73
6 Brighton & Hove Albion 46 21 7 18 63 69 −6 70
7 Middlesbrough 46 20 9 17 66 47 +19 69
8 Barnsley 46 19 12 15 63 48 +15 69
9 Bristol City 46 20 7 19 68 71 −3 67
10 Oxford United 46 14 19 13 69 66 +3 61
11 Newcastle United 46 14 17 15 49 56 −7 59
12 Wolverhampton Wanderers 46 13 19 14 63 63 0 58
13 Bristol Rovers 46 15 13 18 56 59 −3 58
14 Ipswich Town 46 13 18 15 60 68 −8 57
15 Port Vale 46 15 12 19 56 64 −8 57
16 Charlton Athletic 46 13 17 16 57 61 −4 56
17 Portsmouth 46 14 11 21 58 70 −12 53
18 Plymouth Argyle 46 12 17 17 54 68 −14 53
19 Blackburn Rovers 46 14 10 22 51 66 −15 52
20 Watford 46 12 15 19 45 59 −14 51
21 Swindon Town 46 12 14 20 65 73 −8 50
22 Leicester City 46 14 8 24 60 83 −23 50
23 West Bromwich Albion (R) 46 10 18 18 52 61 −9 48 Relegation to the Third Division
24 Hull City (R) 46 10 15 21 57 85 −28 45
Source:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

Results

Port Vale's score comes first

Football League Second Division

Results by matchday

Round12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546
GroundAHHAHHAAHHAAHHAAHAHHHAAHAHAAHAAHAHHAHAHAAHAAHH
ResultLLWWLWDLLDLDLWWLWDWWLLDLDWLLWLLWDDLWDWLLWLDDDW
Position2424129157913131415151617151815131081012121215141516151516141515161616151516151516171615
Source: Statto[3]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
25 August 1990Oxford UnitedA2–54,837Jeffers, Earle
28 August 1990Wolverhampton WanderersH1–212,746Beckford (pen)
1 September 1990Leicester CityH2–08,837Earle, Beckford
8 September 1990PortsmouthA4–28,835Beckford (2), Cross, Earle
15 September 1990Newcastle UnitedH0–110,040
17 September 1990MiddlesbroughH3–17,880Beckford (2), Earle
22 September 1990BarnsleyA1–18,533Beckford
29 September 1990Hull CityA2–35,185Gibson, Cross
1 October 1990Notts CountyH0–17,723
6 October 1990Charlton AthleticH1–16,706Beckford
13 October 1990Ipswich TownA0–310,438
20 October 1990Sheffield WednesdayA1–124,527Gibson
22 October 1990West Bromwich AlbionH1–28,824Walker (pen)
27 October 1990Bristol CityH3–27,451Walker (2 [1 pen]), Beckford
3 November 1990Swindon TownA2–18,364Ford, Beckford
10 November 1990Bristol RoversA0–25,661
17 November 1990Oldham AthleticH1–011,384Cross
23 November 1990Blackburn RoversA1–18,061Walker (pen)
1 December 1990Plymouth ArgyleH5–16,717Beckford (2), Jeffers, Ford, Walker
15 December 1990Oxford UnitedH1–05,953Beckford
22 December 1990Brighton & Hove AlbionH0–16,750
26 December 1990WatfordA1–28,084Earle
29 December 1990West Ham UnitedA0–023,603
1 January 1991MillwallH0–28,418
12 January 1991Leicester CityA1–19,307Earle
19 January 1991PortsmouthH3–26,314Aspin, Glover, Beckford
2 February 1991Newcastle UnitedA0–214,480
16 February 1991Oldham AthleticA0–212,907
23 February 1991Bristol RoversH3–27,166Millar, Beckford, Walker (pen)
26 February 1991Wolverhampton WanderersA1–315,919Earle
2 March 1991Plymouth ArgyleA0–25,145
9 March 1991Blackburn RoversH3–07,004Beckford (3)
12 March 1991Notts CountyA1–16,305Beckford
16 March 1991Hull CityH0–06,103
18 March 1991Ipswich TownH1–25,820van der Laan
23 March 1991Charlton AthleticA1–05,225van der Laan
30 March 1991WatfordH0–06,661
3 April 1991Brighton & Hove AlbionA2–19,733Beckford, van der Laan
6 April 1991West Ham UnitedH0–19,658
9 April 1991MiddlesbroughA0–415,063
13 April 1991MillwallA2–110,860van der Laan, Beckford
15 April 1991BarnsleyH0–16,939
27 April 1991West Bromwich AlbionA1–113,650Earle
4 May 1991Bristol CityA1–111,555Earle
6 May 1991Sheffield WednesdayH1–113,317Earle
11 May 1991Swindon TownH3–17,713Mills (2), Earle

FA Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R35 January 1991Peterborough UnitedH2–17,490Walker (pen), Beckford
R426 January 1991Manchester CityH1–219,132Beckford

League Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R2 1st Leg24 September 1990Oxford UnitedH0–25,265
R2 2nd Leg10 October 1990Oxford UnitedA0–02,333

Full Members' Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R120 November 1990Notts CountyA0–12,320

Player statistics

Appearances

Pos. Name Football League FA Cup League Cup Full Members' Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GKEngland Mark Grew 140000000140
GKNorthern Ireland Trevor Wood 320202010370
DFEngland Alan Webb 4010001060
DFEngland Simon Mills 410102010450
DFEngland Darren Hughes 170001000180
DFEngland Dean Glover 411202010461
DFEngland Tim Parkin 290200010320
DFEngland Neil Aspin 411202010461
DFNigeria Reuben Agboola 9000000090
DFEngland Paul West 0000000000
DFEngland Gary West 0000000000
DFEngland Matt Booth 0000000000
DFEngland Wayne Simpson 0000000000
MFJamaica Robbie Earle 35112000003711
MFEngland Andy Porter 400102010440
MFEngland Ray Walker 456212010507
MFEngland Kevin Finney 0000100010
MFEngland John Jeffers 312202010362
MFNorthern Ireland Paul Millar 171000010181
MFNetherlands Robin van der Laan 184000000184
MFEngland Nick Platnauer 140100000150
MFEngland Gary Ford 302202010352
MFEngland Colin Gibson 6200000062
MFEngland Kevin Kent 110000000110
MFEngland Glen Shepherd 0000000000
FWEngland Darren Beckford 43212220004723
FWEngland Ronnie Jepson 150202000190
FWEngland Nicky Cross 193002010223
FWEngland Brian Mills 2200000022
FWNorthern Ireland Gary McKinstrey 0000000000

Top scorers

Place Position Nation Name Second Division FA Cup League Cup Full Members' Cup Total
1FW EnglandDarren Beckford2120023
2MF JamaicaRobbie Earle1100011
3MF EnglandRay Walker61007
4MF NetherlandsRobin van der Laan40004
5FW EnglandNicky Cross30003
6MF EnglandColin Gibson20002
–MF EnglandGary Ford20002
–FW EnglandBrian Mills20002
–MF EnglandJohn Jeffers20002
10MF Northern IrelandPaul Millar10001
–DF EnglandNeil Aspin10001
–DF EnglandDean Glover10001
TOTALS 56 3 0 0 59

Transfers

Transfers in

Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref.
January 1991DFEnglandPaul WestAlcester Town£8,000[4]
February 1991MFNetherlandsRobin van der LaanNetherlands FC Wageningen£80,000[4]
March 1991MFEnglandKevin KentMansfield Town£80,000[4]

Transfers out

Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref.
January 1991MFEnglandPaul AtkinsonGatesheadRetired[4]
February 1991FWEnglandRonnie JepsonPreston North End£80,000[4]
March 1991MFEnglandGary FordMansfield TownExchange[4]
May 1991MFEnglandKevin FinneyLincoln CityFree transfer[4]
June 1991FWEnglandDarren BeckfordNorwich City£925,000[4]
July 1991MFJamaicaRobbie EarleWimbledon£775,000[4]
August 1991FWNorthern IrelandPaul MillarCardiff City£60,000[4]
August 1991GKEnglandGary WestLincoln City£25,000[4]

Loans in

Date from Position Nationality Name From Date to Ref.
September 1990MFEnglandColin GibsonManchester UnitedOctober 1990[4]
November 1990DFNigeriaReuben AgboolaSunderlandDecember 1990[4]
January 1991FWEnglandNick PlatnauerNotts CountyApril 1991[4]

Loans out

Date from Position Nationality Name To Date to Ref.
October 1990GKEnglandMark GrewBlackburn RoversDecember 1990[4]
October 1990FWNorthern IrelandPaul MillarHereford UnitedNovember 1990[4]
November 1990GKEnglandGary WestGillinghamNovember 1990[4]
January 1991GKEnglandGary WestLincoln CityJanuary 1991[4]

References

Specific
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Kent, Jeff (1990). "From Rags to Riches (1979–1990)". The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 258–290. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.
  2. ↑ Baggaley, Mike (3 December 2023). "Port Vale hold nerve to stay in the FA Cup as Steve Evans fumes". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  3. ↑ Port Vale 1990–1991 : Results & Fixtures Archived 27 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
General
  • Kent, Jeff (1993). The Port Vale Record 1879-1993. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9508981-9-8.
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